Thousands of pupils have gone missing from the education system, leaving authorities clueless about their whereabouts, Sky News reports.
The Department for Education reported that during the spring term alone, approximately 24,700 children disappeared from schools in England, and this number is expected to increase by the end of the summer term.
These missing children are classified as Children Missing Education (CME), encompassing any school-age child who is neither attending school nor receiving education elsewhere. Alarming data reveals that during the 2021/22 academic year, a staggering 94,900 children were reported missing at some point.
One of the primary reasons for children going missing is often attributed to relocation, as they move from one area to another without being enrolled in a new school. Local authorities are legally obligated to take "all reasonable steps" to locate these children, but many remain missing for extended periods.
Sky News investigations discovered that the number of council staff responsible for monitoring school absences in England has been reduced by almost half over the past decade, making it increasingly difficult for many councils to track down missing children. In 2013, there were 751 education welfare officers or their equivalents, while in 2023 there are only 402—a 46% reduction. This decrease places a significant burden on councils attempting to monitor the whereabouts of missing school children.
A spokesperson for the Local Government Association emphasized the impact of funding pressures on councils.
"We have long raised with the government that councils lack the powers to ensure that children who are missing school don't slip through the net. Under the current arrangements, children not in school are invisible to councils and the services that keep them safe. This is why the government must legislate for a register of children who are not in school, combined with powers for councils to meet face-to-face with children," a spokesperson stated.
In response, the Department for Education expressed its commitment to ensuring the safety and excellent education of all children, particularly the most vulnerable. They are actively working with local authorities to enhance support for missing education cases, including the establishment of voluntary registers for children not attending school. The department estimates that there are currently over 1,500 full-time equivalent local authority attendance staff nationwide and affirms its dedication to implementing a statutory system that prevents any child from slipping through the cracks.
The number of children missing substantial amounts of school has dramatically risen since the onset of the pandemic, now considered a national crisis. More than 1.7mn schoolchildren—equivalent to missing a morning of school each week—are absent more than 10% of the time, marking a 108% increase since the emergence of COVID-19. Additionally, the number of children spending more time out of school than in has doubled to over 125,000 since the pandemic began.
To address this pressing issue, the government has established attendance "hubs" in regions with the highest absence rates. Furthermore, attendance "mentors" have been introduced to assist families and schools in reintegrating children into the classroom, aiming to combat the growing concern surrounding missing pupils.
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